Six of the world’s best culinary experiences are to be had in New Zealand, according to the just-published Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Eatlist.
In the follow-up to Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travelist, Ultimate Eatlist presents the definitive foodie bucket-list, ranking the world’s top 500 food experiences.
In addition to Crayfish in Kaikoura, the five other New Zealand gastronomic encounters ranked in the Ultimate Eatlist are Whitebait fritters (#54), Hangi (#304), Hokitika Wildfoods Festival (#346), Manuka honey (#438), and the hotly contested Pavlova (#429).
The top 10 food experiences in Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Eatlist are:
- Pintxos in San Sebastián, Spain:“If there’s a better way to explore a culture’s cuisine…we’ll eat our shorts. The simple…ones…blow your mind – battered white asparagus, a tuna and anchovy tart or…mushrooms braised with garlic.”
- Curry laksa in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:“Here are fantastic little hawker centres tucked into the shadows of towering skyscrapers, and…you’ll come across competing curry laksa stalls vying for your attention.”
- Sushi in Tokyo, Japan:“Take your time and interact with the chef; it’s a perfect opportunity to learn more about this ancient culinary art.”
- Beef brisket in Texas, USA:“Keep it simple, and cook it ‘low and slow’ in oak-wood smoke until it’s fall-apart tender and encased in a thin, salty crust.”
- Som tum in Bangkok, Thailand:“Rarely does a salad generate so much hype…grabbing a plate of som tum on the street, amid traffic chaos and the stifling heat, is a rite of passage for visitors.”
- Smørrebrød in Copenhagen, Denmark:“There are some rules…that help to elevate it to something beyond a piece of bread with toppings.”
- Crayfish in Kaikoura, New Zealand:“Visit the New Zealand coast where the crayfish is so good they named a town after it.”
- Bibimbap in Seoul, South Korea:“Pretty much flawless food. The ingredients are chosen for specific reasons; red chilli represents your heart, green vegetables for your liver, yellow egg yolk is for your stomach, black or dark items are there for your kidneys, and the white rice for your lungs.”
- Pizza margherita in Naples, Italy:“To eat margherita here is reminiscent of a religious experience.”
- Dim sum in Hong Kong:“Sample your dim sum as simply or as extravagantly as your predilections go…nowhere does it like Hong Kong.”
